Bunny chow

Bunny chow is a South African fast food consisting of a loaf of bread, with the inside scooped out, and filled with curry.

It was created in Durban, during the 1940s, where the largest population of Indians in South Africa live. Although it is clear that the food began under apartheid, the precise origins of the food are disputed. One story, which also provides an etymology for bunny chow, or bunnies as they are also known, has it that a restaurant run by people known as Bunias (an Indian religious group) first created the scooped-out bread and curry dish, in Grey Street, Durban, which is how Bunny chow got its name. The food was a means to serve take-aways to excluded people. They cut out the center portion of the bread and filled it with curry and capped the filling with the portion (the Virgin) that was cut out.

Another story is that the food began because Indian caddies were prohibited from using utensils at the canteen at a whites-only sports venue, possibly at the Greyville Race Track. The food then migrated to other areas of Durban. In any event, the key common element is the use of the food to maintain racial and/or religious segregation, and to prevent 'contamination'.

Bunny chows are very popular amongst Indians throughout South Africa and there are various restaurants all over South Africa now serving these dishes. Bunny chows are more commonly filled with curries made using traditional recipes from Durban: mutton or lamb, chicken and bean curries are the more popular fillings, however the original Bunny Chow was strictly vegetarian. Bunnys are often served with a side portion of grated carrot, chilli and onion salad.

Bunny chows come in quarter, half & full loaves. A quarter can usually be shared between two people, and don't be caught using utensils (the locals find this practise most amusing). Bunny chows are strictly a messy fingers affair!

When ordering a Bunny chow in Durban, the rules of the local lingo dictate that you need only ask for a "quarter mutton" (or flavour & size of your choice).